Former state Sen. Chris Romer raised more than $280,000 for his mayoral bid in March, about $128,000 more than his closest rival.

That figure pushed the total raised for Romer’s campaign to more than $1 million, a number that most of the candidates thought wouldn’t — or couldn’t — be reached.

“I’m honored by the continued strong support we’ve received,” Romer said in a statement. “March’s fundraising demonstrates that people across Denver are investing their hard earned money in a vision of expecting more for our city’s future.”

Of course, having the most money is not always a predictor of success. Just ask Connecticut U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon, who raised $50 million in a losing effort last year, or the New York Yankees, who watched the San Francisco Giants win the 2010 World Series despite the Yankees’ Major League Baseball-leading payroll of more than $200 million.

Romer finished the month with more than $493,000 on hand, a war chest sizable enough to leave a gorilla-size footprint in areas like television commercials or direct contact with voters.

However, money isn’t necessarily a be-all, end-all, particularly in this race, according to some experts.

“If it were a race where someone had to get 50 percent of the vote, then money would be more important, but I don’t think that’s the case here,” said political scientist Norman Provizer. “This race has a large field that contains a number of substantial candidates; in this situation, a candidate with name-recognition, based in a core constituency of support, can get a spot in the runoff.”

If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the May 3 election, the top two finishers will meet in a June 7 runoff.

City Councilwoman Carol Boigon was second in March fundraising, totaling $152,016, a figure that included a $100,000 loan made by Boigon to her campaign. Boigon made, and repaid, a similar loan in February.

She was followed by fellow council member Michael Hancock, who totaled $139,140 for the month.

That pair were followed by James Mejia’s $129,046.

The third council member in the race, Doug Linkhart, raised $46,357, including a $20,000 personal loan. Theresa Spahn followed Linkhart, with $15,500 in contributions.

The four other candidates in the field, Danny Lopez, Jeff Peckman, Ken Simpson and Thomas Wolf, did not file reports with the city clerk by Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline.

Candidates who do not raise or spend more than $500 are not required to file.

A local union president slammed by Donald Trump on Twitter stood his ground Thursday, maintaining the president-elect gave false hope to hundreds of workers by inflating the number of jobs being saved at a Carrier Corp. factory in Indianapolis.